Easy Roast beef recipe plated with gravy and mashed potatoes.

I don’t prepare Roast Beef often, but when I do have it I always refer to my mom’s Roast Beef Recipe! It’s so simple, full of flavor and the best I’ve ever had.

My favorite way to serve roast beef is over mashed potatoes and with lots of gravy, although Yorkshire pudding is most traditional. We’ve included a recipe for beef gravy, because I think roast beef is best served with at very least a nice, thick gravy (our roasted garlic gravy is exceptional with this too)! I also love shaving thin slices off the roast and putting it in a sandwich! So good!

Best Cut of Beef to Use to Make Roast Beef

We use the top round cut for our recipe because it’s lean, has a lot of flavor and is a part of the muscle that’s not worked quite as much as the bottom or eye of round cuts so it’s a bit more tender than the other two cuts. We also love that the top round makes really great sandwiches!

If you’re looking for a cut with more fat on it a ribeye roast is a good cut, especially for “fancier” occasions like a holiday dinner, etc. The cooking times will vary a little from our recipe recommendation if using this cut.

How to Make Our Easy Roast Beef Recipe

Process

ROAST BEEF

Remove roast from refrigerator before cooking, to get the ‘chill’ off roast. Preheat oven to 425˚F. Place oil, rosemary, thyme, chives, garlic, salt, and pepper into a small mixing bowl
Whisk together until fully combined.

Roast beef marinade whisked together in a bowl.

Rub herb mixture all over roast.
Transfer to a roasting pan.

Cook roast at 425˚F for several minutes, then lower temperature to 325˚F and continue cooking. For medium-rare, roast until 135˚F but remove from oven at 130˚F, for medium, 145˚F but remove from oven at 140˚F – too account for carryover cooking.

GRAVY

Place butter into a small saucepan and melt together.
Add garlic and sauté.

Butter melted in a saucepan to make gravy.

Add flour and whisk together until smooth.
Whisk in mustard and season with salt and pepper.

Making gravy in a skillet for roast beef.

Whisk in stock until no lumps remain. Allow gravy to simmer for a few minutes until thickened. Adjust seasonings.

ASSEMBLY

Remove roast from oven and loosely cover with foil for about 20 minutes. Thinly slice beef.
Serve sliced roast beef with gravy (and whatever side dishes you prefer)!

Tools You Will Need

Using Pan Drippings for the Gravy

I’m a big fan of using pan drippings instead of butter to make a delicious gravy, but since top round is so lean, the pan drippings are minimal, so butter works better in this case.

If you go the route of using a fatter cut of beef, then I definitely recommend replacing the butter with pan drippings, for the gravy.

Tips and Tricks for Roast Beef Success

Allow beef to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before roasting it. This will create a more juicy and evenly cooked end product!
Use a thermometer (if it’s instant read, it’s even better). Using a thermometer is the best way to ensure you’re not under or overcooking the roast.
Allow beef to rest once it comes out of the oven (20 to 30 minutes). This allows the fibers in the beef to relax, ensuring a tender and juicy roast.
Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice the roast for clean cuts that will keep the beef tender. People will often use a serrated knife to slice roasts, but serrated knives actually tend to rip up the beef and not give clean cuts.

Variations

Use a different cut of beef! Mix it up and try a different cut to see which one you like best based on flavor and texture.
Change up the rub ingredients. Sometimes I’ll swap the herbs out for minced tarragon, or just omit the rosemary, or even add some crushed pepper flakes for a kick. Play around with flavors to see which combination is your favorite.